Alber Elbaz Joins Instagram

Update, 11/12: Last night, former Lanvin artistic director Alber Elbaz joined Instagram with a heartfelt post thanking fans for the outpouring of support following his dismissal from the fashion house:

Update, 11/5: Jack Lang, the former French minister of culture, has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Alber Elbaz's dismissal from Lanvin, WWD reports. Lang released a statement expressing disgust over the decision:

To cut the wings of this exceptional talent in this way makes me very sad and angry. I can only share in the fervent wish of the Lanvin employees who are strongly and rightly calling for the return of this great designer. This dismissal is an unbearable and unspeakable injustice. Talent is not dismissible and our country should be proud of the great Alber Elbaz. He is one of our national treasures. He is an icon and a source of pride to us. We owe him our unfailing support, our respect and our affection.

Meanwhile, WWD reports that Lanvin's HR department has refused to meet with employees to discuss Elbaz's exit. "There is a breakdown in relations between staff representatives and management that is unheard of," Charles Henry Paradis, a representative for employees of the company, told WWD. A spokesperson for Lanvin told WWD: "The situation as it appears to be described by one person does not correspond with reality,"

Update, 10/29: WWD reports that Lanvin employees are not happy about Alber Elbaz's termination from the house. An anonymous employee spoke to French radio station RTL today, revealing that yesterday's announcement of Elbaz's departure invoked tears and cries of "Alber, Alber, Alber" from the 330-person staff.

Now, the company's works council has requested a meeting with the house's majority owner, Shaw-Lan Wang, to discuss Elbaz's dismissal. The council is also considering legal action.

Earlier this afternoon, BoF published a full statement from Elbaz, who said his exit is based on a decision made by Lanvin owner Shaw-Lan Wang:

"At this time of my departure from Lanvin on the decision of the company's majority shareholder, I wish to express my gratitude and warm thoughts to all those who have worked with me passionately on the revival of Lanvin over the last 14 years; express my affection to all my wonderful colleagues in the Lanvin ateliers who accompanies me, and who enriched and supported my work. Together we have met the creative challenge presented by Lanvin and have restored its radiance and have returned it to its rightful position among France's absolute luxury fashion houses.

"I also wish to express my profound and deepest gratitude to all of the clients and friends, to the French and international press and to all those business partners who collaborated with Lanvin, providing us with support since 2001."

"I wish the house of Lanvin the future it deserves among the best French luxury brands, and hope that it finds the business vision it needs to engage in the right way forward."

Lanvin's official Instagram account shared the below image this morning:

Original Post, 11:11 AM: The game of designer musical chairs continues, with Alber Elbaz expected to depart Lanvin, WWD reports. Neither Lanvin or Elbaz have made official statements yet, but WWD reports an announcement will be made within the next few days.

Just six days ago, Raf Simons announced his departure from Dior after three and a half years. WWD predicts Elbaz's exit could encourage rumors that he will succeed Simons at Dior.

Elbaz is an alum of New York designer Geoffrey Beene as well as Guy Laroche and Yves Saint Laurent, where he designed ready-to-wear for three seasons. After a short stint at Krizia in Italy and a year-long hiatus, he took over at Lanvin in 2001. In addition to his role as artistic director at Lanvin, Elbaz also holds an ownership stake in the company, controlled by owner Shaw-Lan Wang.

Last week, Elbaz received the Superstar award at Fashion Group International's Night of the Stars, where he spoke about the pressures of being a creative director in the fashion industry:

We designers started as couturiers with dreams, with intuitions and with feelings. We started with,'What do women want? What do women need? What can I do for women to make their lives better and easier? How can I make a woman more beautiful?' That is what we used to do," he said. "Then we became creative directors, so we have to create, but mostly direct. And now we have to become image-makers, making sure it looks good in the pictures. The screen has to scream baby — that's the rule. And loudness is the new thing. Loudness is the new cool, and not only in fashion. I prefer whispering. I think it goes deeper and lasts longer.

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